Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1887-11-26

TO the submerged country, how are
the cotton.mouths to get at as"
'sYahl yahl YAH" launched old Dave,
scornfully. $50 you amt seed many
cotton-moris, Marse Curnelg You'll
know 'em well. sar, fore you'se done
with Maringonin bayou"
You'd better bold your tongue. old
man." the colonel said, quietly, but
there was a CLEAN in his eyes which
taught old Dave. who knew him well,
that he had gone far enough. The two
young men had become very uncont
Portable. They we're both courageous /
enough in any common emergency, but |
these unknown reptiles OF the Louisi.
ana swamps made their blood curdle |
in anticipation.
"What a dreary prospect, said ri.
lis, looking over the desolate waste Of
waters. for by this time they had
reached Maringonin plantation. The
tops of moss-draped trees stood above
the water, boards and house -tfmbers
we're floating about, or lodging in RATS
around the trees and other obstruc,
tions.
"Dreary enough answered Colonel
Carlton, 'fbut If it seems so to you,
what do you think it must be to those
who, only a month ago, saw on this
site the most beautiful aud highly cul.
tiyated plantation in louisiana
Yonder stood magnificent mansion;
the ruins of it have lodged in that
grove of oaks. Tine crevasse broke a
few yards to the right. there whereyo
zee the tide sweeping like a river back
to the swamp. That's the point we
must approach in the rear. Yonder's
the bayou, Dave. Now for it.
In few minutes the skiff was max
| ing its way between two ranks OF low,
/ bushy trees, the lower branches oil
which were in the water.
"It's like q nightmare said one oil
the young men, with an involuntary
SILVER. "those mossdraped trees, that
| look as if they were mourning over
the desolation OF the land. Look,
look what's that, twisting among the
lower branches?"
"Oh, it's only de cotton moufs I've
been tellin' bout. massa." Dave an.
swered. BLESS you, dat amt not'in.
| When ebenin' comes dey hangs IN
strings from de low branches, thous-
ands oh EN-"
keep in the middle of the stream,
Dave" called out the Colonel, rather
uneasy himself, as his practiced eye
saw that many of the trees were real
ly filed with the reptiles.
"Ise gEine to do dat Marse Curnel,
you may bet your life, long as kin.
But you knows well as do. some
times dere amt no middle In dis
bayou, but Jest twist and turns dat'll
brnng us up slap bang right agin dem
trees. Cur some stout poles, Marse
Curnel, and you and the genmen Jest
skin your eyes, and watch fur dem
reptiles.
4 f'We'T GET through in a couple OF
hours Colonel Carlton said to his
companions, land we'll have day
light returning. We can certainly
manage to run this disgusting gaunt.
let with our senses all about u.s."
The sun was several hours high
when they reached the open fields and
j the spent waters of the crevasse. II
did not take long to make a recon
uoissance, and when they had com
pleted the survey, Colonel Carlton
pushed the skiff to hill, the top oil
which stood above the water, and
landed with his two companions Tor 9
final view of the surrounding country
at seems to me-" he said, "that a
canal cut from the bayou to the-hai
loo, Dave, what in the world are you
J doing?"
al can't holp it, Marse Curnel. ID
eddy's done tuck me of. sar. Sab
my life, can't get the skiff back.
The colonel stormed, but q glanc'
! showed him that the old man spok'
! the truth. As often happens in thos'
, submerged places, eddies and currents
! formed bv some unseen impeachment
produced suddenly. and one OF thes
. had swept the skiff into a perfec
thicket of thorn bushes some distanc
{ from the hill and lodged it there so Sc
) curely that all the old mans effort
{ to move it were useless.
Its a beautiful fix" the colont
: growled, shut we'll have to make |
; swim for 1t. It's getting late and we'v
| got the bayou to thread. OF cours
You can swim those few yards"
"Yes," Ellis answered, hesitatingly
: eve can swim very well usually, bu
/ the snakes, Ell? Amt they thick in tn
waterf"
E "If they are, they don't bite unde
4 water the colonel answered, coolly
5 preparing COR his swim.
5 They had only few yards to swim
i but low thorn bushes covered by tn
! water tore their skin, shiny weeds fee
r inc like snakes twined around thei
: limbs, and they scrambled into tn
boat, the most dilapidated trio tina
+ can be imagined.
IL was some time before the ski
/. was extricated and the sun was sci
4 ting as thew entered the bayou. In
i. short time night settled down. The
n knew full moon was shining outsid'
8 but the few rays which penetrated ia
/, dense thicket through which they wei
passing only seemed to intensity il
a horrors.
The air seemed full of Kisses, an
|. though they could not see the shake
q they could hear them among Il
{ branches, and their splashes in tt
!. black waters around the boat.
!. A profound silence prevailed, Il
a each man did not know what momer
g cotton.mouth might fall on b
head.
e Then there was dull thud at ii
v bottom of the boat.
a Cotton. mouf cotton-mouh"
!, screeched, Dave spripging to his feet an
almost overturning the boat. The
|. was good deal OF scrambling an
s excitement among the party, but Il
IL cotton-moaths, probhbly scared ;
n thenoise, glided quietly over the sides
D. she boat into the water, and no oil
5. was bitten.
~ "T'ank de Lord" cried Dav